David McElroy

America has always been more of an idea than a place.

There was certainly a country called the United States of America, but that was more of a government entity. When I was growing up, many of us were relatively naive about the imperfections of that government.

I think now that it was mostly because we were so blinded by our devotion to the core mythology of America to see the grasping and evil politicians behind the machinery of government.

We excused the reality of what our politicians often did because we were in love with the idea of America as a place of freedom and justice and decency.

When the country celebrated its 200th anniversary of independence in 1976, we were still in love with the shared idea of America. Even though it came just after the disasters of Watergate and Vietnam and oil embargoes, most people still believed in America as an idea.

In a month, the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary, but things feel very different.

As we approach July 4, 2026, I no longer sense the shared belief in an ideal that we once took for granted. And I fear that the ideas which once burned like a holy fire now resemble dying embers that threaten to go out completely.

Is the idea of America — the good parts, the parts worth celebrating — slowly dying?

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I have trouble giving up on people.

It’s not just people, though. It’s more accurate to say I have trouble giving up on whatever fantasy of the future that I’ve created in my mind. Sometimes that involves people. Sometimes it’s an achievement I’ve set my heart on. It can be any fantasy of what I think my life is going to look like.

I fall in love with my fantasies, I suppose. My life will be perfect when I make this thing happen. Everything will be perfect when this woman loves me and we live happily ever after.

And when I figure out that I’ve been chasing the wrong thing, I have trouble letting go of it. I have trouble saying that this thing is never going to happen. It’s hard for me to admit that maybe the thing I’ve been chasing was never good for me anyway.

When I stubbornly cling to dreams that are already dead, I sometimes allow myself to miss better opportunities. I sometimes mope so much about what I can’t have — even something I’ve decided isn’t good for me — that I miss better choices.

It’s been very difficult for me to stop watering dead flowers.

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Have you ever wondered what cats do when you’re not home? What might they be hiding from you? Welcome to the secret neighborhood “Cat Rave on Thomas Avenue.”

Just don’t let the humans know about it.

This is the latest of my ridiculous parody videos that I started making a few months ago. My first few videos were very simple, but the last few have gotten increasingly complex. This one is the most complicated and was the most time-consuming.

I’ve been enjoying these as a creative outlet, but they’re not worth a nickel. Very few people have found the YouTube channel where I’ve started posting them, so I’d appreciate it if you would “like” some of them and subscribe to the account if you use YouTube.

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